Ruling the Road

Carnegie Mellon's Boss in the Spotlight on National TV

Luckily for Carnegie Mellon's Tartan Racing Team, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" is just a slogan, not reality. The team's robotic sport utility vehicle — Boss — is there for the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week, and it seems like the whole world knows.

On the morning of Jan. 7, viewers of NBC's "Today Show" saw Al Roker climb into Boss' passenger seat to get robotically chauffeured around a parking lot. Over at CBS' "Early Show," viewers saw correspondent Daniel Sieberg take a similar spin. And Boss, along with the team's director of technology Chris Urmson, were also tentatively scheduled to appear on the CBS Evening News later the same day.

When Boss won the DARPA Urban Challenge and its $2 million prize on Nov. 3, 2007, the team received a lot of coverage in local, national and international newspapers, magazines and websites.

Now Boss is getting face time on national TV.

The CES is a magnet for journalists. Thousands of reporters come to see the latest thin-panel TV screens, video notepads and other high-tech toys unveiled at this giant event.

In addition to Microsoft chairman Bill Gates' annual keynote, General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner is presenting a keynote address Jan. 8. He'll be highlighting the company's plans to spends millions to develop a car that can brake and accelerate on its own and take action to avoid accidents.